IWA SAM

IWA SAM
Specialist Group
NEWSLETTER
Aug 2012
Chair:
Dr Helena Alegre
Committee members:
Mr Scott Haskins
Mr Will Williams
Dr Dídia Covas
Dr Suwan Park
Dr David Marlow
YWP representative/
Website Manager:
Dr Peter Cheung
Secretary and newsletter editor:
Dr Patrícia Duarte
http://www.iwasam.org
secretary.sam.iwa@gmail.com
Welcome to the
STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER
The main objectives of our specialist group for the coming two years: (i) to continue promoting
leading-edge approaches to SAM; (ii) to strengthen the activity in LAMIC regions;
(iii) to leverage the participation of the young water professionals in the Group; and
(iv) to consolidate an IWA vision, key principles and best practices of infrastructure asset
management.
We are now about 700 members and we are willing to receive your contributions for a shared
knowledge on such an important subject for utilities. The overall success of our group depends
on the inputs from every of us.
Helena Alegre
Latest AM meetings
Workshop in Kuala Lumpur
November 2011
In November 2011, several relevant meetings
occurred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during
the 2nd IWA Development Congress and
Exhibition.
A seminar on “Strategic asset management in
low and middle income countries - plan,
manage and finance effective operation and
maintenance” was carried out. This was a
joint initiative of the SAM SG and of the
Operations and Maintenance Network of
IWA. Additionally, the SAM SG Chair, Helena
Alegre took part of the IWA Specialist Group
Chairs meeting.
Workshop in Yokohama, Japan
2 nd -3 rd February 2011
The 7th IWA Regional Workshop on
“Sustainability of Infrastructure towards
Customer Awareness and Satisfaction in Water
Utilities”, organized by International Water
Association (IWA), by Japan Water Works
Association (JWWA) and by Yokohama Water
Works Bureau (YWWB), took place in
Yokohama, Japan.
The SAM SG was represented by Helena
Alegre, who made a keynote address “On the
pathway to water utilities mission: Focus on
Asset Management and Customer relations”
to the opening session audience, while
representing IWA Board of Directors.
Later, she made a second intervention as
IWA SAM SG Chair, on the subject “Asset
managers, policy makers and customers
talking the same language – a key for moving
our infrastructures into the future”.
More information, including all workshop
slides, at http://www.jwwa.or.jp/english/
en_04_01.html#0 .
Participation in XV SILUBESA at Belo
Horizonte, Brazil
18 th -21 st March 2012
The SILUBESA Symposia, on sanitary and
environmental engineering, are biannual
events organised by three associations, the
Brazilian ABES, and APDA and APESB, both
Portuguese. After 30 years of meetings
occurring alternately in Portugal and Brazil,
this is one of the main events that allows for
sharing and updating of knowledge by
specialist and technicians from both
countries.
This year, the 15 th edition of SILUBESA took
place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Infrastructure
Asset management is an emerging topic in
Brazil. Recognizing its importance in the
present context of the country, the opening
panel was dedicated to “Infrastructure Asset
management: a tool for management
excellence”. Helena Alegre delivered the
keynote, on “Infrastructure Asset
Management at IWA”, as SAM SG Chair.
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STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT Specialist Group Newsletter Aug 2012
Outcomes from IWA European Utility Conference in
Vienna/Austria
18 th -20 th April 2012
People from 18 different countries attended IWA European
Utility Conference, in Vienna/Austria (18-20 April). In this
conference four subjects were discussed in two parallel
streams on: “Risk management: Risk Management or crisis
management / How safe is safe” and “Managing utilities in
current economic conditions: Economics / Infrastructure“.
Helena Alegre was invited to be one of the on keynote
speakers and made her presentation on “Asset managers,
policy makers and customers talking the same language – a key
for moving our infrastructures into the future”. After
explaining the basic concepts and the importance of
Infrastructure Asset Management and showing some of the
tools available for ensuring effective stakeholder participation
and for integrating it in decision processes, she talked about
IWA initiatives on this subject, including R&D projects,
publications, and SAM SG activities, website and planned
events.
The other keynote presentations were on “Update on UN
Water policy”, “How safe is safe” and “Future water demand
and use – a scientific approach”.
Presentation slides are available at www.euc2012vienna.at.
Workshop in Busan
16 th -21 st September 2012
Next SAM SG events
A workshop on
“Infrastructure Asset
Management –
decision-making process
from strategy to
implementation”, organized
by IWA SAM Specialist Group and IWA O&M Program, will take
place at the next IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition in
Busan, Korea.
Infrastructure asset management (IAM) is increasingly
becoming a key topic in the move towards utilities’ economic
efficiency in the long run, without putting at risk compliance
with performance standards.
Effective decision-making requires a comprehensive approach
that ensures the desired performance at an acceptable risk
level, taking into consideration the costs of construction,
operation, maintenance and disposal of capital assets over
their life cycles.
IAM is most often addressed based on partial views according
to the skills of the professionals, for example, business
managers, accountants, water engineers, asset managers or
elected officials and, in practice, many existing
implementations tend to be biased by different perspectives.
This workshop aims to evidence the advantages of an
integrated approach within the organization by (i) providing an
understanding of the basic concepts, methodologies and
approaches and relate it with the organization overview
approach; (ii) illustrating the need for an integrated approach
to Strategic Asset Management, and (iii) raising awareness of
multi-scale and multi-dimensional specificities, tensions and
solutions in the decision-making process.
Next SAM SG Management Committee meeting in
Busan
20 th September 2012
All SAM SG members are invited to participate in annual
plenary meetings that take place during IWA World Water
Congresses (even years) and SAM SG biannual conferences –
LESAM (odd years). You will find Minutes of all previous SAM
SG meetings at http://www.iwasam.org/?p=179 .
The next SAM SG meeting will be held at IWA World Water
Congress 2012, in Busan on the September 20 th (12:45-14:15
session ROOM 11). The agenda includes the following topics:
1. Welcome and approval of the agenda
2. Notes of the previous SAM SG meetings
3. Information
4. Report of activities developed since last meeting
5. New developments
6. Venue for LESAM 2015
7. Dates of next meetings and any other matters
IAM Conference in Marbella, Spain
24 th -26 th April 2013
Following the successful event of
“Asset management of medium and
small wastewater utilities”
(Alexandroupolis-Thrace, Greece,
July 3-4 2009,
http://iwasam.env.duth.gr), a new
specialist conference on “Asset
management for enhancing energy
efficiency in water and wastewater
systems”, is co-organized by
Democritus University of Thrace
(Greece) and the International Water Association (IWA)
Specialist Group of Statistics and Economics.
The design of infrastructure and processes through an asset
management perspective can be employed for meeting the
challenges of cost saving/minimization of water and
wastewater facilities as well as the reduction of carbon
footprint and high performance of their services. This
conference will cover these aspects through the following
selected topics, aiming to integrate the expertise and
experience of scientists from different fields and sectors:
• Energy auditing and performance assessment;
• Cost and energy efficiency of infrastructure (e.g.
pumping equipment, buildings);
• Optimal redesign of existing water and wastewater
systems for energy efficiency with minimal carbon
footprint;
• Instrumentation, monitoring and real-time control
strategies for efficient water and wastewater systems
operation;
• Hydroenergy generation;
• Co-generation and biogas production in wastewater
treatment plants;
• Process design to improve carbon, nitrogen and
phosphorus removal with less aeration requirements,
less sludge production and enhanced nutrient recovery;
• New technologies for energy supply and

STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT Specialist Group Newsletter Aug 2012
recovery in water and wastewater systems (e.g. use of
wind and solar energy, electricity production from
wastewaters through microbial fuel cells);
• Cost benefit analysis of energy efficient water and
wastewater systems.
A parallel conference will be organized at the same venue by
the Specialist Group on Statistics and Economics entitled “3 rd
International Conference on Water Economics, Statistics and
Finance". Arrangements have been made for Participants to
attend this event.
More information at: http://www.iceam2013.es.
LESAM 2013, Sydney, Australia
10-12 September, 2013
Organised by AWA – Australian Water Association and IWA,
the next Leading-Edge Conference on Strategic Asset
Management will take place in Sydney in September 2013.
The call for papers will be launched soon. Stay tuned.
Please check the SAM SG website (http://www.iwasam.org/)
regularly, where more information will be shared as soon as
available.
A new tool for AM
Test the new AWARE-P software
LNEC team launched AWARE-P software. The AWARE-P
infrastructure asset management (IAM) planning software for
drinking water, wastewater and storm water services is an
organized assessment environment where planning solutions
or competing projects are measured up and compared through
selected performance, risk and cost metrics.
It comprises a portfolio of metrics and analysis tools that may
be used individually for diagnosis and sensitivity gain purposes,
or as part of the integrated planning procedure laid out by the
AWARE-P IAM programme. This portfolio is fully aligned with
the IWA performance assessment and benchmarking
materials.
The release of this first public trial of the AWARE-P software
also marks the launch of the new Baseform platform that will
host and support it. Go to baseform.org to find out more, or go
directly to the AWARE-P IAM application page
(http://www.aware-p.org) to learn more and try it.
LESAM publications
Publications
LESAM are IWA biennial leading edge conferences on
infrastructure asset management (IAM) of urban water
infrastructure that aim at enhancing the awareness,
knowledge and practice of IAM in an integrated perspective.
Selected papers from LESAM 2011 (Mulheim, September
2012) were also submitted and are being published in Water
Science and Technology, Water Asset Management
International and Water Utility Management International.
You can download presentations from this Conference
sessions at http://www.iwasam.org/?p=109.
SAM Courses and training workshops
IAM courses
March 2012 IAM training course; 14 hour direct tuition; target
public: COPASA senior managers; organisation: ABES
(Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental
Engineering) / LNEC / IWA SAM SG
July 2012 IAM training workshop; 7 hours; organisation:
Performance Assessment Systems Project (CEPT Univ.) /
LNEC / IWA SAM SG; locations: Ahmedabad (24 July 2012)
and Mumbai (27 July 2012).
August 2012 IAM training course; 14 hour direct tuition; 14
hour direct tuition; target public: SABESP senior managers;
organisation: ABES (Brazilian Association of Sanitary and
Environmental Engineering) / LNEC / IWA SAM SG / SABESP
(company responsible for water supply and sewage
collection and treatment in 363 municipalities in the state of
São Paulo, Brazil), 2 days
Other News
Changes in SAM SG Management Committee
After several years
of serving in the
Management
Committee, some
members asked to
be replaced:
Dr John Bridgeman
(former
Vice-Chair),
Dr John
Bridgeman
Prof Stewart
Burns
Mr Johannes
Buckle
Prof Stewart Burns (former secretary and newsletter editor)
and Mr Johannes Buckle (LAMIC representative). On behalf of
the SAM SG, we express our appreciation for their valuable
contributions and look forward to their future support to the
Group.
Prof . Peter Cheung (website editor) and Dr Patrícia Duarte
(secretary and newsletter editor) joined the MC.
At http://www.iwasam.org/?p=147 your can find the updated
MC member list.
Dear Member: If you have any relevant information on SAM
(e.g., scientific work, project, initiative, event, course),
please share it with the other members of our SG.
Send us your news to secretary.sam.iwa@gmail.com
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